Virtual Nutritionist
Our Virtual Nutritionist, Jane Jakubczak, is in! She will answer specific questions on diet, nutrition, supplements, and food strategies aimed at enhancing or improve running or racing performance.
For older Q&A, please see the Q&A Archive.
Question
Hi. I recently started the half marathon training program, and in the past during my training, I have never really considered what foods I should and shouldn't eat. My training partner from years past always said "we run so we can eat whatever we want". I have always felt as though that probably isn't the best thing to be doing in order to stay healthy while training for a half marathon, while increasing speed and increasing mileage.
Are there some overall do's and don'ts that you would suggest as I am increasing my running intensity and stress on my body? -RK, May 2007
Answer
Many of us, including myself, run so that we have a little more wiggle room with our diet. You are very smart to realize that the statement "we run so we can eat whatever we want" can be a quite deceiving.
The more miles we run, the more energy (calories) we are expending. A very general estimate is that an average person expends about 100 calories per mile. This means that we can consume more calories and still maintain our weight. A fun way to add calories is to add treats to our base diets. For example, add dessert after dinner, add chips to our sandwich at lunch or a glass of wine before dinner.
As a sports nutritionist, the most common client I see is someone who is confused as to why, if they are training for a marathon, they are not losing weight, and sometimes actually gaining weight. Research has looked at this phenomenon. What they found were two explanations; one is that runners tend to adopt the "I can eat whatever I want" attitude and out-consume the amount of calories they are burning. The second explanation is that they have found runners in training tend to "conserve energy (calories)" the rest of the day. The lesson here is, if you are working on losing weight continue your regular daily activity and be cautious with the extra calories you are adding to your diet. A good way to keep track of your additional calories consumed is to keep a food log, much like you keep a running log.
Now, lets get back to the idea of the "base diet" which is what I think you may be concerned with. You are absolutely correct that with running there is more stress on the body. As runners we are also concerned with our physical performance - both require high quality nutrients.
The runner's body has higher requirements of all nutrients - high quality carbohydrates for muscle fuel, lean protein for muscle repair and healthy unsaturated fats for the anti-inflammatory properties. The requirement of vitamins and minerals also increases. These play an important role in squelching the free radicals produced by the stress of training.
In terms of health and performance, some of the extra calories mentioned above should be used meeting these increase nutrient needs. Some suggestions on how to meet your additional energy needs with high-octane fuel are as follows:
Add a glass of low fat milk to your day. This does double duty - you are adding additional fluid for hydration and milk has more essential nutrients than any other food - protein and an abundance of vitamins and minerals such as calcium. You may want to try a cold glass of low fat chocolate milk as a nutrient dense treat in the evening when the chocolate craving is calling out!
Strive for 3 fruits everyday. They make a great snack - portable, sweet and full of vitamins and minerals!!
Add a cold, crisp salad to your dinner meal. Add an olive oil based dressing and some walnuts/almonds/sunflower seeds for a healthy dose of unsaturated fat. The healthy fat will aid in your body's absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamin A,D,E, and K) from the vegetables.
Add protein to your afternoon snack. Instead of the handful of pretzels try string cheese with trisquit crackers, an apple with some peanut butter or some veggies dipped in hummus.
Add a whole grain snack to meet your additional carbohydrate needs; A whole grain granola bar as a morning snack or a small bowl of whole grain cereal in the evening. These are both excellent post-run snacks as well.
Your intuition was correct, we have more flexibility with our diets since we are runners but we still need to be conscious of both the quantity and the quality of the extra energy we consume.
Good luck with your training and enjoy!!
Question
As a participant in the first time marathoner's training group, I often find myself ravenous during the training runs. On the long runs, I usually bring a drink and a protein bar to keep my energy up and my mind on the run (not pancakes). However, during the track workout we are supposed to be **tearing** around the track--not slowing/stopping to nosh, so by the end of the workout my energy is depleted and I am obsessing about dinner. I have tried eating between a hour or two before going to the track, but so far I haven't found a very good combination of food. For example, if I eat a banana an hour before the workout, I still feel ravenous during the run. If I eat a can of tuna with a matza cracker two hours before the run, I am not hungry--but it feels like I have a box of rocks in my gut (not to mention fishy burps, YUCK!) Any advice? -PC,March 2004
Answer
I enjoyed reading your question:-) It's one of the most complexing questions I deal with when it comes to athletes: nourish a workout - not too much/ not too little. Your choices were good ones but I think you may need to find something inbetween. A banana is not enough and the tuna takes too long for your stomach digest it. Once you start running, the concentration of blood leaves your stomach (shutting down the digesting) and goes to your legs.
I wish there was a cut and dry answer for everyone but everybody's body is different and can handle different amounts and types of food. This is why it is so important to experiement with your pre-workout fueling WHILE you are in training....not on race day.
Let me give you some things to experiment with:
for evening speed workouts: eat a good breakfast and lunch (not too heavy though...maybe not the best day to go out to lunch) and hydrate all day (water is fine). The extreme hunger you are experiencing leads me to believe you may not be eating enough during the day.
2 hours before your run:
liquid meal replacement - i.e. Ensure, Boost, Kashi, even slimfast may work.
bowl of cereal
1/2 a peanutbutter and jelly sandwhich
energy bar (not the high protein variety) - these are created to be easily digested
yogurt with 1/4 cup of granola or a couple graham crackers
1 oz of cheese on 6 saltine crackers
These ideas can also work before your early morning runs. The trick will be to see how early you will need to wake up to get the food in you and not bother your stomach.
I hope these ideas help and good luck!
Instructions for submitting questions to MCRRC's Virtual Nutritionist
Please send your brief questions on diet or nutrition to nutrition@mcrrc.org
A new question/answer will generally appear each week. We reserve the right to edit or consolidate questions on a similar topic.Questions can also be mailed to MCRRC Nutrition, P.O. Box 1703, Rockville, MD 20849
DISCLAIMER
The information contained herein is provided as a public service with the understanding that the Montgomery County Road Runners Club makes no warranties, either express or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information. MCRRC is not responsible for the content or reliability of the information provided and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed therein. Nothing contained herein should be construed to constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any information, advice, product or service.
Jane Jakubczak RD, LD is a Registered and Licensed dietitian who specializes in weight management, cardiovascular health and sports nutrition. She was recently hired by the Washington Redskins as their team nutritionist. As the dietitian for the University of Maryland Health Center, Jane counsels students, faculty and staff on various nutritional concerns. In addition she works with the University's athletic teams, educating athletes on optimizing their physical performance through proper nutrition. Jane was also the "Official Nutrition Coach" for the inaugural Washington DC Marathon. An athlete herself, Jane is a member of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club and is currently training for her third marathon. Jane is available for individual consultations, where she develops diet strategies to fit one's lifestyle and food choices and maximizes their athletic efforts. Contact Jane at 240-603-1070 or SeeJaneRun66@hotmail.com.
